‘Hotel Impossible’ teaser offers hints about what happened at downtown Bangor inn; episode airs Tuesday

Celebrity hospitality expert Anthony Melchiorri and his team came to Bangor in July to shoot an episode of their Travel Channel hotel makeover show “Hotel Impossible,” and many around the state have since been wondering what took place behind the closed doors of the historic Charles Inn during the TV host’s stay.

On Tuesday at 10 p.m., the world is scheduled to find out, as the Bangor episode of “Hotel Impossible” airs for the first time.

Most episodes of the show feature some drama, as Melchiorri pushes hotel owners to make difficult choices and dramatic changes in order to revive their businesses. But the upcoming episode on The Charles Inn carries additional intrigue for locals, as a popular first-floor bar closed during the filming and the landmark establishment was sold to new owners shortly afterward.

While the bar manager and previous hotel owner disagreed publicly about whether the reality makeover show was to blame for the pub’s closure, a short video teasing highlights of the upcoming episode (above) provides hints on how Melchiorri felt about it.

The host described the former Big Easy Lounge as a bad first impression for hotel guests, and the teaser includes a clip of Melchiorri in a heated exchange with bar manager Paul Beaulieu.

“I have to wrestle my way through [to check in],” the TV host said of the Big Easy Lounge, later adding, “I have to walk through a whole bunch of people who are drunk.”

The preview video also provides some additional context for what would become the sale of the hotel. Allan and Leanne Hewey, managers of a Brewer inn that was on a previous episode of “Hotel Impossible,” were brought in as consultants for the Bangor project by Melchiorri and ultimately came away as the new owners of The Charles Inn.

The teaser shows Melchiorri as a matchmaker of sorts, pitching the hotel sale as a way previous owner Connie Boivin could return to Florida, where she’d lived previously, while still ensuring the high profile Bangor inn remained in good hands.